Simon Sinek says, “A team is not a group of people that work together. A team is a group of people that trust each other.”  

Working environments and situations have changed drastically over the last few weeks, so it is important to ensure that your team feels supported, connected and valued over this time. 

They are the wheels that keep your business spinning, so how can you help them to continue on through adversity? 

We have put together some key points which will assist your staff and team to feel trusted and motivated through this time. These are ideas and tools that GippsTech have implemented, and that we are working to help other businesses implement these, too. 

Even if your working environment transitions to remote - culture is as important as ever.

Working from home can be lonely for some, so how can you still maintain a positive working environment? 

Strategies such as virtual “coffee catch ups” or “communal lunchrooms”  will mean your team still gets to see each other, share a laugh, and air any stressors or issues. You could also implement a daily “working from home” selfie on your team’s communal email or messenger, or create a playlist everyone can listen to and enjoy at the same time. 

Communicate with your staff so they understand your business's response to this situation, and how they can help.  

While these times are uncertain, and we don’t always have the answer, it is important to keep your team up to date with any news or likely changes to occur. If your staff understands your priorities and focus areas for the immediate future; share them. They may have valuable ideas, or want to help you through this time in any way they can. 

Schedule meetings online, via a program such as Zoom or Google Hangout Meet. 

Even if you can’t have meetings face to face in the office, use a video conferencing platform so that your team can still see you and feel a sense of inclusion. A demand for more meetings may arise as circumstances change, however your team will appreciate the inclusivity and updates. 

Encourage teamwork and let your staff help you innovate. 

Innovation will likely be your business’s “word of the month” as you think about how you can adapt, and still remain cash flow positive at this time. By collective ideas and encouraging your team to help each other, they could provide some insights and tools which you haven’t yet thought of to help through the situation. 

Trust that your team is doing their jobs, and provide them with flexibility to help them adapt. 

Sometimes the best ways to inspire trust is through giving your team the opportunity to self-manage, instead of being micromanaged. 

You could use time tracking spreadsheets or shared “To Do” lists for your team to complete themselves, whilst still ensuring they are working and maintaining productivity at home. Having a document or spreadsheet everyone can access will mean your staff can self manage their hours, and you can still see that the work is being done. Also understand that for many workers now, they are navigating this new environment just like you are, and may need flexibility in their working hours. For those with partners who are working in essential services, it may be unfeasible for them to work their usual hours whilst taking care of their children and the household. Now that many babysitting and childcare services have ceased, parents need to develop a new “normal” for their families, so practicing patience while they do this will go far. 

As a leader, know that it’s ok to not have all the answers. 

There is great value in a leader who can lean into vulnerability and uncertainty at this time. While your team is looking to you for the answers, know that it is perfectly ok to admit that you don’t know, but will work to find a solution. The reality right now is that circumstances are changing rapidly, however, trust within your team can be built when you remain transparent and honest in your communication. 

These are just some ways you can help your team feel supported and motivated through this time. We also use Google’s GSuite software to keep everyone on our team virtually connected and able to be productive while working remotely. GSuite can provide a fantastic solution to enable remote work for your business, as it offers shared calendars, best-in-class email management, video conferencing and cloud-based documents designed for collaboration. 

You can find out more about using GSuite for remote work in our blog here, or book a free consultation with us if you’d like to find out more about how we can help your team be productive while working remotely!